Postal dept probe confirms ` 1.17cr scam in steel city

CLEAN SWEEP Agents with help of employees withdrew ` 1.17 crore from over 100 accounts in the Jamshedpur circle

JAMSHEDPUR: In its interim investigation report, a threemember probe committee has confirmed irregular withdrawals of ` 1.17 crore from customers’ accounts by agents in connivance with postal employees in the Jamshedpur circle, officials said on Tuesday.

A postal account holder Asit Kumar Pramanik lodged a first information report at the Sonari police station here, alleging fake withdrawal of over ` 1.40 crore from postal accounts of nine account holders by agents and postal staff.

The scam came to light when in response to a complaint filed by Raeeb Sanyal, a resident of Sonari locality, the Prime Minister’s Office directed the postal department to investigate 12 accounts on August 23. East Singhbhum district accounts for 3.50 lakh postal accounts out of nine lakh in the Kolhan division.

“We submitted the interim probe report to the state postal department on Monday. The inquiry is still on and the final report will be submitted after the completion of the probe involving large numbers of accounts and vouchers. The interim report has so far traced suspected withdrawal of ` 1.17 crore,” SP Singh, senior postal superintendent, Jamshedpur, told HT on Tuesday.

Officials said suspected withdrawals of ` 1.17 crore have been confirmed from over 100 accounts. “The inquiry will take some more time to complete as it involves over 550 accounts and a huge number of vouchers. It’s, however, clear that such huge withdrawal was not possible without the connivance of some postal staff,” a senior postal official and member of the three-member probe committee said.

Asit Kumar Paramanik, resident of B Block, Khuntadih, Sonari, lodged an FIR at Sonari PS against postal assistant Sanjay Prasad and RK Yadav along with agents Suparana Pal, Chandana Pal, Dulal Chandra Pal and Chandana Haldar accusing them of withdrawing over

` 1.40 crore from the accounts of nine account holders.

“Another FIR has been lodged and we’re probing it after which arrests will be made,” Sumant Anand, officer- incharge of Sonari PS, said. He, however, said they were yet to file a chargesheet in an earlier case filed in the postal scam in which main accused agent Suparna Pal had surrendered on September 8 and has been in jail since then. Suparna, who became a postal agent in 1998-99 alone handles 1,800 accounts.

The postal department had suspended Sanjay Prasad, postal agent in Sonari post office after irregularities in withdrawal of

` 22 lakh were confirmed. Two more agents, RK Yadav and Madan Lal, were also suspended for withdrawal of ` 9.55 lakh and

` 10 lakh from the accounts of Sonari residents Harish Prasad and SK Laha.